PropellerSafety.com

Archive for USCG – Page 5

Rental Boat Safety Instructional Materials

Many rental boat propeller accidents, especially houseboat, deck boat, and pontoon boat propeller accidents have raised the issue of the quality of the instruction provided to those who would eventually end up operating the boat. Rental boat instruction on houseboats in particular often focuses on how to operate the boat and its many accessories, how […]

Street Named for Terrell Horne III, USCG Propeller Strike Victim

The town of Emerald Isle renamed a street as a memorial tribute to Terrell Horne III, U.S. Coast Guardsman killed by a boat propeller in a drug interdiction chase of California near Santa Cruz. We previously covered the incident in which he was killed at Terrell Horne USCG Killed by Boat Propeller Terrell was stationed […]

USCG Propeller Safety Regulations Timeline / History

Since the mid 1990’s the United States Coast Guard has published several notices concerning proposed regulations involving propeller guards & other propeller safety devices, and requested public input on those proposals. While much of the focus has been on propeller guards, other propeller safety devices have also been discussed. Among them are swim ladder interlock […]

Medical Care Advances Influence Trends in BARD Fatalities

The U.S. Coast Guard has long touted the downward slope in annual BARD (USCG’s Boating Accident Report Database) fatalities as a measure of improvements brought about by: Regulations Law enforcement presence Boater education Boating safety programs Improvements in boating equipment USCG reported 1,754 recreational boating fatalities in 1973 (the highest number of fatalities since 1970). […]

Terrell Horne USCG Killed by Boat Propeller While Interdicting Smugglers

Executive Petty Officer Terrell Horne III, age 34 of Redondo Beach, was second in command on the Halibut, a 87 foot Marina del Rey based Coast Guard Cutter. The Halibut patrols about three hundred miles of southern California coastline and provides security for the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach. Officer […]

Boating Industy Has a Double Standard When it Comes to Testing Propeller Guards

The boating industry promotes one standard for testing propeller guards in court cases or when evaluating propeller guards proposed by those outside the boating industry, and a different standard when their own propeller guards are being tested. They want to test your guards trimmed full under at speed with the same propeller used on the […]

Boat Propeller Accident Statistics / BARD Database: Historical Calls for Improving Completeness, Accuracy, and Ease of Use

Many have called for improving the completeness, accuracy, and ease of use of the records surrounding boat propeller accidents. Those seeking to prevent or mitigate propeller accidents are generally forced to rely upon the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Annual Boating Statistics report for propeller accident frequency data. For example, we covered the release of the […]

Boat Kill Switch Wear Rate Estimated from U.S. Coast Guard BARD Data

In June 2011, the U.S. Coast Guard published an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) titled Installation and Use of Engine Cut-Off Switches on Recreational Vessels USCG-2009-0206. Among other things, the ANPR requested public comments concerning a potential future proposed rule requiring operators of certain boats to wear kill switches (like lanyard kill switches that […]

USCG Releases Recreational Boating Statistics 2011

We noticed the U.S. Coast Guard recently released their annual boating accident statistics report. The total fatality count for 2011 was 758 deaths (vs. 672 in 2010). USCG reported 197 propeller accidents (vs. 179 in 2010) and 35 propeller fatalities (vs. 27 in 2010). We note a substantial increase in the number of propeller accidents […]

Propeller Guard Test Protocol Rough Draft Released by ABYC / CED for Public Comment

Effectiveness of Propeller Guards About 2006 the U.S. Coast Guard began consulting and contracting with some experts to produce a test protocol for propeller guards. The American Boat and Yachting Council (ABYC) and CED Investigative Technologies are now finalizing that process for USCG. CED Investigative Technologies is a forensic engineering and accident reconstruction firm specializing […]